Silhouettes Against the Sky
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Femslash collection! First: After Ginny is captured, hope returns in the form of her lover. / Sometimes, we have to let go of the things we love. PavLav
1. Set Me Free

**A/N: Hey y'all! So, I decided I needed a femslash collection. Because everyone does. :P**

**Word Count: 666**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

**WARNINGS: Descriptions of injury, major angst, captivity, language**

**Enjoy!**

Ginny's brown eyes were dull as she gazed at the floor of her cell. She shivered helplessly against the chains shackling her to the ceiling; her fingers were losing feeling from being kept above her head for so long. She wished she could sink to the floor to relieve the pressure on her arms and legs.

She hadn't had the opportunity thus far. Ginny wasn't sure how long it had been since the Death Eaters raided the Burrow, but her heart ached for some kind of news, any sort of hint that might suggest her brothers and parents were still alive.

Not knowing was the real torture.

Ginny winced as she shifted positions slightly, the rattling of metal loud in her ears. It was still difficult to believe that they'd lost—that Harry was dead. She'd thought of the older boy like a brother; to know that such an important part of her family was gone… it was unbearable.

Her brothers were important war figures, too—what had become of them? She had to find out.

A weight was suddenly on her foot, and Ginny flinched and kicked the small mass away—a mouse. It was too small to be a rat, she reasoned. Still, the rodent infestation didn't do anything to ease her nerves.

She watched the mouse scurry to pick up crumbs of food she couldn't reach, watched as it ran towards a couple smaller mice… and now Ginny wasn't just thinking of her brothers, she was thinking of her girlfriend, too.

Where was Pansy now? Had she and her family made it away? Ginny was sure that Voldemort hadn't taken too kindly to discovering that such a prestigious pureblooded family had no interest in participating in his 'cleansing' methods, no matter that they agreed with his views.

Dark, glittering eyes filled Ginny's mind, and she moaned with pure longing. How she wished Pansy was here to relieve her pain now… to trail kisses down her collarbone to cancel out the pain of the bruises, to wind pale fingers through Ginny's shorn red hair… to make her feel beautiful again, which, hell, wasn't something she ever thought she'd need.

"Fuck, baby. I'll kill those bastards."

Ginny's head snapped up, startled. It couldn't be. She was hallucinating, or dreaming, because wishes didn't come true in this world—

But no matter how hard she blinked, the image of Pansy twisting the key in its lock didn't go away. Ginny trembled with anticipation.

"You're here," she croaked in astonishment.

Pansy slipped into the cell, holding a finger to her lips as a request for quiet. "Of course I am. And I'm getting you out of here." Pansy hurried over to Ginny, making quick work of the shackles. Once her wrists were released, Ginny fell to the ground, her weight suddenly too much to lift on her own.

"I'm sorry," she said, angry at her own weakness. "Merlin, this is ridiculous, I'm—"

Pansy ran the pad of her thumb over Ginny's cracked lips, silencing the younger girl. "Shut up," she commanded. Her dark eyes were furious. "Those damned Death Eaters are _so_ getting the end of my wand after this."

Though her words were angry, Ginny could hear the despair in Pansy's voice. But, just like always, she knew how to fix that.

"If anyone's gonna hex those bastards," she rasped out, using Pansy to pull herself to her feet, "it's gonna be me."

Pride shone on Pansy's features, and she tugged Ginny to her chest. "That's my girl," she said softly. "Now—let's go."

The two managed to sneak out with relative ease; the Order, Ginny learned, had provided quit the distraction. Only when they were out in the open air, the rain and wind stinging Ginny's wounds in the most exhilarating way possible, did Pansy, dak curls soaked, allow herself to peck Ginny on the cheek.

Ginny snorted, unimpressed. "I've waited too long to be satisfied by _that_."

The kiss that ensued tasted like freedom, and Ginny was finally _alive._

**A/N:**

**Hangman: Mouse**

**Fortnightly: Kissing in the rain**

**Fortnightly: The Other Side by Woodkid**

**Sci-Fi: 5. Being trapped somewhere (BONUS)**

**Wandmakers: Ash: windy, Snallygastor heartstring: astonished, Solid: "If anyone's gonna hex that bastard, it's going to be me."**

**Mythology: 2. (item) chains**

**Game Night: Truth: Words: twisted**

**353\. (action) cheek kisses**

**88\. 666 words**

**290\. Collarbone**


	2. Falling Apart (Without You)

**A/N: Hey y'all! Some... extremely angsty Pavlav. Oops?**

**Word Count: 664**

**WARNINGS: body image issues, infidelity, break up**

**Enjoy!**

"Wait! Wait, I'm sorry." Lavender caught Parvati's arm. "Please don't leave me."

Parvati winced. "I…"

Lavender's wide blue eyes were staring at her imploringly, and Parvati felt her heart sinking.

"Lavender." Her voice was hoarse. "I just don't know if I can keep doing this."

The wizarding war was over, yes, but its end had brought about a new beginning in their relationship. Parvati didn't mind the scars, but Lavender did—and she constantly needed to be reminded that she was still beautiful.

The reassurances didn't need to come from Parvati.

Lavender looked so devastated, though. And despite everything, Parvati still loved her.

But was that love a waste?

"I'll be better," Lavender promised, her lip quivering. "I know I've messed up, but I can do better. I can be better."

Parvati glanced away, her midnight black hair shielding her face. "I've given you chances already, Lavender. But you don't talk to me about any of this—you just run off and—and—"

"I know." Lavender's voice was small. Her hands trembled, but she still gripped Parvati's wrist. "Merlin, Parvati, I know. But you… you don't know what it's like."

And there it was; that white-hot anger that plagued her whenever she couldn't muster up the energy to be devastated. "No, I don't understand," she snapped. "I don't understand why I'm not enough for you." Tears filled her eyes, and she tried to blink them away. "I'm supposed to be enough for you!"

Lavender took a step back, and the last bit of contact they had was lost as she dropped her hand. "Every day, I look in the mirror and see a face I don't even recognize. I'm still trying to figure out where I fit in the world, and I thought you would support me through that."

Once, Parvati thought bitterly, it had been obvious that her place was at Parvati's side.

Parvati wrapped her arms around herself, seeking comfort no one could give. "Support you what? While you fall in the arms of other people?"

Lavender shuddered. "I'm only talking to them, it's not like—"

"But it _is!_" Parvati's voice echoed through their empty flat. Everything was still in boxes; they'd only moved there a short while ago. "I don't want you to be flirting with other men and women; _I_ love you, _I _think you're beautiful, _I_ am the one who always comes home to you!" Parvati shook her head helplessly and sank to the floor, then hugged her knees. "Why aren't I enough for you?" she whispered.

Lavender didn't move. "You are."

Parvati scoffed. "You don't sound sure."

Lavender closed her eyes. "You love me," she stated in a strangled voice. "And that means… you could be lying to me."

Parvati's head snapped up. "_Lying_ to you? How?"

Lavender fell to the ground suddenly, as though her knees had given out. Her curly blonde hair hung over her face, a tangled mess. "Maybe you don't think I'm beautiful," she murmured. "Maybe you're planning on leaving me. I need them to know that you… that you mean what you're saying."

Parvati stared at the other girl for a long time. "I think," she said at last, "that that is how you've been justifying this to yourself. But Lavender… you don't mean it." Parvati's hands fisted the fabric of her robes. "Merlin, you don't mean it. You want attention I can't give, and that's not my _fault._"

She stood up then, knowing what she had to do.

Lavender, too, scrambled to her feet. "No—Parvati, wait—"

She Disapparated.

o.O.o

"I don't understand," Padma said softly the next night. "You seemed so happy… what went wrong?"

Parvati's vision blurred, and her grip on her mug of tea tightened. "It'd be easier to tell you what didn't go wrong."

Padma's hand found her twin's shoulder. Her eyes were filled to the brim with sorrow. "I'm so sorry."

Parvati closed her eyes. "It's over, now, at least."

Except she was still so far from being okay.


	3. Watching

**A/N: Hey y'all! Some HannahDaphne :)**

**Word Count: 520**

**Enjoy!**

_Daphne walked barefoot through the grass, her long dark hair flying unbound behind her, whipped into chaos by the wind. Her dark eyes swept over her surroundings, taking in the setting sun, the flowers in the field, her skirts billowing around her. It was all so peaceful. _

_And it was about to get even better. _

_A moment later, just as she predicted, Hannah walked through the trees. Her blue eyes were dazzling, and she beamed when she caught sight of Daphne. Lifting her lavender skirts, Hannah rushed over to her lover. _

"_Daphne," she gasped delightedly, "I thought evening would never come!"_

_Daphne laughed, a deep, pleasant sound. "It's here now," she pointed out, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Why don't we make the most of it?"_

_Hannah boldly intertwined their fingers together, and Daphne felt like she was flying. _

* * *

Daphne watched, unable to move or speak, as Hannah knelt by her roots. If she could have wept, she would have; as it was, she could only witness her lover's mourning.

Blonde hair fell across Hannah's shoulders as she bowed her head, her pink lips twisting into a sad smile. "Always so beautiful, Daphne," she whispered. "We should have known it wouldn't end well for us."

Daphne trembled, and a couple stray leaves fell to the ground. She longed to reach out and brush the tears that were beginning to fall from Hannah's cheeks, to hold the young woman in her arms and never let go… but things weren't that easy.

Hannah was clutching fistfulls of grass, trying to smile through her pain, but Daphne could see right through that even without the tears.

"The attention of a god is a special thing," Hannah whispered. "I'm only sorry what it brought you." Letting out a shuddering breath, Hannah leaned her head against Daphne's trunk. "I can't regret loving you, though. If you're in there, if you can hear me… at least know that."

Then Hannah got to her feet, and Daphne felt her heart breaking. The blonde woman smiled, beautiful despite the blotchy red color her skin had taken on and the way her breath hitched. "I'll come back and visit soon, I promise."

And then she was gone, and Daphne was alone.

* * *

"_I love you more than anything in this world, Daphne," Hannah promised with a smile. "And I always will, you know. Even if the rest of the world doesn't approve."_

_Daphne quirked a brow. "Is that so?"_

_Hannah bit her lip as she laughed, a habit Daphne found adorable. "Of course it is," the younger girl said. She reached out and laced their fingers together. "Of course it is," she repeated."_

_Then Hannah had said the words that had halted Daphne's entire world. _

"_I love you."_

_Daphne, overwhelmed by her emotions, just smiled and kissed Hannah's temple. _

* * *

Daphne wished she'd come clean to Hannah long ago. Now, her lover might never know that Daphne loved her just as deeply.

But a tree couldn't speak, or hug, or kiss. So Daphne stood there forever, stuck in eternal limbo, able only to watch the world move on without her.


	4. Begin Again

**A/N: Hey, y'all! This is just a quick TonksFleur drabble. **

**Word Count: 708**

**Enjoy!**

"_I want to break up with you."_

_The words were spoken softly, with regret—but also with conviction. Dora sat there, a little stung… but unsurprised. She bit her lip and looked up at Remus. "Can I ask why?"_

_He ran a hand through his greying tawny hair and tilted his head to the side. "You've done wonders for my confidence, Dora—truly, you have. And I'll always be grateful to you for that. But, as wonderful as you are… I think we're better as friends."_

_And she could feel it this time: he wasn't rejecting her because of low self-esteem, but because he really didn't feel like it was working. How could she do anything but respect that?_

_She reached out and placed a hand over Remus'. The sun was shining, the day was warm, but Tonks still felt as though she was losing something. "Thanks for telling me," she murmured. She looked up through her currently-violet fringe at him and grinned. "Don't be a stranger, Lupin."_

_He grinned in return, relief in his eyes, and squeezed her hand. "Wouldn't dream of it."_

* * *

It had _not_ been a good day. She'd narrowly avoided getting hit by a powerful curse when an arrest went awry at the Ministry, she'd missed lunch, and even though it had been well over a month since she and Remus split, she couldn't find peace with herself. Her flat was too empty, too lonely.

Hence, why she stumbled into 12 Grimmauld Place.

After a graceless collapse onto the sitting room sofa, Dora was just about ready to summon whatever dinner leftovers there were and go to sleep; it was approaching midnight, after all. But before she could do so much as raise her wand, a voice spoke.

"There you are. I have dinner for you, and tea."

Tonks turned her head and stared with some surprise at Fleur. "Oh, thanks." She sat up and pressed her palms against her eyes as a headache threatened to overwhelm her. "You're an angel."

She thought, for a second, that Fleur was blushing as she handed Tonks the meal, but then thought better of it. She waved a hand to invite Fleur to sit, and after a slight hesitation, the blonde woman obliged. Dora watched her smooth out the nonexistent creases in her blue skirt, searching for something to say.

"I heard that you and Remus broke up."

Dora lifted her brows. "Yes," she admitted. "He's a fantastic bloke and will always be my friend, but… I think he was right when he said we weren't really meant to date each other."

"But you still miss him?"

Dora didn't know where this heart-to-heart was coming from, but the younger woman's voice was only filled with curiosity. Dora answered. "I do, yeah. Or, I miss being with someone, you know? Life can get lonely." Realizing that she'd said a little too much, Tonks quickly took a sip of her tea. Fleur, though, just looked thoughtful… and a little sad.

Suddenly, Tonks was struck with the thought that Fleur needed this conversation. She reached out and placed a hand on the French woman's knee. "Something on your mind?"

Fleur turned to face her fully, and Tonks was momentarily rendered breathless by the intensity in those blue eyes. "I want—" She looked frustrated with herself, like the words she wanted to say wouldn't come. "I want—"

Dora watched Fleur's eyes dart from her hair to her eyes to her lips—

_Oh._

Finally, Fleur grabbed Dora's hand in her own. "You don't have to be alone," she said thickly.

Dora looked down at their intertwined hands, bit her lip, and nodded.

* * *

_A month later, Dora was wrapped up in Fleur's arms. The sky outside was already dark, and Tonks could feel her eyelids growing heavier. _

"_We're canoodling," she informed Fleur sleepily. "Pretty sure that's a whole new level of domestic for me. _

_Fleur snorted. "Is it, now?"_

"_Mmhmm." Dora yawned and stretched, breaking out of Fleur's grasp. It was getting late; she should be heading back to her own flat, and she told her girlfriend as much. "How about a goodnight kiss before I go?" she added with a grin._

_Rolling her eyes, Fleur obliged. "Good night, Tonks."_

_Dora smiled softly. "Good night."_


	5. Falling Fast

**A/N: Hey, y'all! So. Have some PavLav? *grins nervously***

**Medieval Studies Task 7: Write about someone feeling that they are losing their attractiveness or allure. **

**Word Count: 943**

**WARNINGS: Violence, injury, PTSD, depressive thoughts **

**Note: I'm so sorry. **

**Enjoy!**

_She was on her back, pinned to the ground. She couldn't move—no matter how hard she tried to move, she couldn't—and the panic was overwhelming her. _

_Rough hands gripped her wrists, dirty and jagged nails breaking the skin there. Long, matted hair fell against her face, and she could feel the hot breath of her assailant, could smell the blood on his breath. His face was shrouded in shadow, but she knew exactly who he was. _

_It took her a moment to realize that she was screaming, sobbing, drowning in her fear and the realization that no one was coming for her. _

"_Such a pretty snack," Fenrir Greyback whispered to her. "The perfect meal."_

_She didn't feel beautiful. She felt—she felt—_

_He lifted a hand suddenly, and then the real pain began. Claw after claw tore into her skin, tearing skin on her arms, her chest, her face, her neck…_

_She screamed and twisted and SCREAMED but no one came for her. _

_The only constant was the moon hanging in the sky above her, barely visible past Greyback's head. Just a sliver, not even full. But still so cruel. _

_So, so cruel._

* * *

Lavender sat up in bed with a gasp. Her blue eyes were filled with fear left over from the nightmare, and she realized after a moment that she was trembling.

_Breathe_. She could do it. She knew she could do it. She wasn't _there_ anymore.

_Breathe_.

She made the mistake of looking up. She'd never rearranged her bedroom after the war; she didn't know why, because there were so many nights, just like this one, where she'd glance up into the mirror on the opposite wall and flinch away from her reflection.

Scars. They were thick and white and ugly, crossing over her cheekbones and across her nose, stretching from her jaw to her ear. And then her hair—her once-lovely, golden hair—was shorn close to her head, patches of it having been ripped from her skull during the battle. She was too thin—gaunt. She was hollow. She was a ghost.

She was a stranger to herself.

She didn't _feel_ beautiful.

_Breathe_.

Beside her, something shifted. Lavender jumped before she remembered that, yes, someone was here. Someone was supposed to be here. She didn't sleep alone.

Parvati's dark eyes were heavy with sleep, but they blinked open all the same. "Lavender?" she whispered into the darkness. "Are you all right?"

Lavender only stared at her. She used to talk a lot, she remembered. There was always something on the tip of her tongue, always something to say. But not now. Now there were no words.

She wondered why Parvati was still here. Parvati had not fallen in love with _this_ version of Lavender Brown.

The silence stretched on. Parvati, beautiful Parvati, was too stubborn to speak before she did.

"Go back to sleep." Lavender hated the tremble in her voice, but it couldn't be helped. So much couldn't be helped anymore.

"No." Parvati sat up and cupped Lavender's face in each of her hands. Her thumbs stroked Lavender's cheekbones, sliding over the raised flesh of the scars, and Lavender wants to shrink away from that gentle touch. She'd felt dirty ever since Greyback had torn into her. She'd felt so unworthy.

She wasn't a werewolf. _Lucky._ She would experience a fondness for raw meat as the moon waxed, not for blood. _Lucky_. She had someone to help her through the transition, someone who'd been in her shoes just one year previous: Bill Weasley. _Lucky_.

Be grateful. She should be grateful. But she wasn't. Tears sprang to her eyes. She was angry and confused. Why. _Why had this happened, what had she done wrong—_

"Lavender?"

She turned back to Parvati, whose brown eyes were filled with nothing but love. Love and concern. It should have made Lavender melt into her arms. She should be crying now. She should be happy that the woman beside her wants to stay beside her.

But all she can do is take in Parvati's beauty. Gorgeous black hair, beautiful skin, lithe limbs; she had always been stunning, and even after the war, she still was.

Lavender wasn't.

And that was the problem, wasn't it? The war hadn't changed Parvati, not really. But Lavender… she didn't even recognize herself.

"I love you," Parvati told her.

Silence. Then, "You loved me. The old me." She took a shuddering breath in. "I'm not that person anymore."

She stumbled out of bed before Parvati could protest, moving out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, where she threw open the window and gasped in the cool night air. She shook, she trembled, but her grip on the windowsill was as strong as ever.

Out there, there were monsters. There were heroes. There were neither. Everything and nothing all at once. She used to think that she was invincible because of her goodness, immune to the horrors that followed some of her classmates around. She was too beautiful, too perfect, to be tainted.

She was tainted now.

Her eyes locked onto the moon. It had sucked everything from her: her confidence, her personality, her life. Her beauty.

Lavender knew that she'd run back into Parvati's arms before long. She was too weak not to accept the comfort the other girl offered. But she knew… she knew that she couldn't love or be loved. Not in the same way.

Not in the way bubbly, carefree Lavender Brown had loved and been loved.

Parvati didn't understand. But Lavender just didn't have the strength to break her heart.

So she slipped back into bed several minutes later, trying to ignore the tears trailing down her face.


End file.
